(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a method and apparatus for finishing freshly poured concrete.
More particularly, the invention relates to a concrete finishing method in which a power trowel floats on the liquid-particulate surface of wet concrete to produce a smooth, level surface finish prior to the concrete's hardening.
In another respect, the invention relates to a method for finishing freshly poured concrete in which a power trowel is provided with blades which can be canted during the finishing of concrete so the power trowel can be adapted for finishing concrete at different stages of hardening.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98.
My U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,348 describes a power trowel for finishing concrete. The power trowel is light weight, and includes a throttle controlled by rotating the handle. While the power trowel set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,348 is, due to its light weight, especially useful, the power trowel is more difficult to use when concrete becomes stiff as it dries and sets. One way to compensate for the hardening of concrete is to alter the cant of the blades on the power trowel. In conventional trowels, this is accomplished by stopping the trowel and manually adjusting the position of the blades. This procedure is time consuming and can be impractical, especially when the concrete is hardening rapidly.
Accordingly, it would be highly desirable to provide an improved method and apparatus for adapting a light weight power trowel of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,740,348 to permit the ready adjustment of the cant of the blades in order to permit the trowel to be used continuously while freshly poured concrete hardens.
Therefore, it is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved power trowel for finishing freshly poured concrete.
Another object of the invention is to provide a method and apparatus for adjusting the blades of a power trowel simultaneously with operating the power trowel to finish concrete.